Tee Times July 2021

July 2021

July 2021

Keeping Golfers Connected in TN, KY, MS, AL, NC

Tennessee junior tour reaching new heights of popularity

Brandt Snedeker’s SNEDS Kids

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Inside!!

Makeover in Memphis: King-Collins 11 renovating historic Overton Park course up: Alary, Malone keep 12 Teaming things simple at Malone Golf Academy the heat: Take a trip 23 Beat west to Lake Tahoe

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Brandt is not only dad, but Austin’s caddy, and he loves every moment

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In the winners circle, Boys 10-11 Micro are Caden Stroup (L), 3rd, Thomas Classen,1st., and Antonio Tigner came in 2nd

Making memories on the Sneds Tour Tennessee junior tour reaching new heights of popularity

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor Most golfers have memories of the playing the game when they were youngsters.

Brandt Snedeker is no different.

Now a well-known PGA Tour professional, Snedeker’s roots to the game date back to his days in the early and mid-1990s walking the fairways and greens of what was then the Tennessee Junior Tour.

“I remember playing in these tournaments and we had four or five guys and we were all the same age and we would travel together,” Snede-

Dick Horton, former TGF President and the driving force in approaching Snedeker about the tour, is shown here on a day caddying for grandson Brooks, assisted by staffer Valerie Vargas

ker recalled in a recent phone interview. “Dads would take us to certain events and we made a day out of it.

We would play an 18-hole event in Lewisburg or Cookeville or somewhere like that. We’d play and then go have lunch and play another nine on the way home. It turned into a whole summer thing.

“I still remember all their names and the great memories of summertime – teeing off at 7:30 in the morning and the smell of freshly cut grass and dew, the clubs all ready to go and marking the golf balls and so excited to be out there.”

Sneds Tour thriving

Some 25 years later, that junior tour now carries the Snedeker name. Tennessee’s Sneds Tour has become a bastion of junior golf in Tennessee and is thriving.

Recently, Rob Cherry, the Director of Competitions for the Tennessee Golf Foundation which sponsors the Sneds Tour, said demand has never been higher.

On any given weekday during the summer, there is at least one Sneds Tour event being played somewhere across five regions in Tennessee. Often, there are multiple events being played on the same day, as tour officials try to accommodate the record 1,800plus junior golfers who participate in Sneds Tour events. That number is up from last year’s record of 1,625.

“The Sneds Tour (Sneds is Brandt Snedeker’s nickname on

the PGA Tour) is about providing opportunities,” said Cherry, who played high school golf at Lipscomb and is a Sneds Tour alum.

That was paramount to Snedeker attaching his name to the tour back in 2015 – the same year Cherry came on board the TGF. “The one thing I want out of this whole thing is just for kids to have access to go play golf for fun – teach them how to do it,” Snedeker said.

“That’s why we have different divisions – beginner divisions, intermediate divisions and advanced divisions and we run them all the same so they get the tournament experience without the pressure. I think last year really opened some people’s eyes in that you don’t have to be a great golfer to go out there and have fun.”

Dick Horton’s vision

What is now the Sneds Tour has morphed from what was originally the PGA Greater Nashville Junior Golf Tour in 1989 to what it is now. It has had a variety of names and sponsorships – Vince Gill played a prominent role from 1997-2005 and from 2006 until 2013 it was the Toyota TGA Junior Tour. In 2015 Snedeker attached his name to the tour at the behest of then-TGF head Dick Horton.

Snedeker said Horton told him the tour had lost its sponsor and asked if he would be willing to help out.

“It hit a chord with me when he mentioned it,” Snedeker said. “I thought it was something I should probably do because of what that tour meant to

me and how much it influenced me as a golfer and how much fun I had playing golf throughout the summer in the state of Tennessee.”

The logistics were ironed out and a plan was formed for what Snedeker, a nine-time PGA Tour winner, said was “to get that tour and get it moving in a way it should be moving and grow it a little bit.”

Paramount for Snedeker was scheduling and affordabillity “We wanted to make sure there were enough events for kids to play if they want to play and make sure the price was affordable and try to take as much pressure off the kids so it was affordable and easy to find and easy to play,” he said. “To be quite honest with you it has exceeded my expectations.”

Lissa Bradford has been with the TGF since 1995 as Director of Junior Golf. Like Snedeker, junior golf has been near and dear to her heart since she was 13 when a PGA pro asked if

July 2021

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Rob Cherry

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(L.) Luke Purifoy, 13 brother/caddy, Sam Purifoy, 8, Heather Pabon, mom/caddy, Alex Pabon 8, Mandy Snedeker, mom/ caddy, Austin Snedeker, 8 and Izzy Griggs, staff.

Brandt congratulates a young lady on her win

she was going to be a tournament golfer or a country club golfer.

“I cannot explain how far the game has taken me,” she said. “The experiences and the relationships mean everything. I made it a goal to do what I could to provide the same opportunity to others and have been very blessed to be a part of the Tennessee Golf Foundation junior golf programs for many years. I never could have imagined the growth I have seen. The really cool part is seeing parents that played the junior tour bring their kids to participate in events.”

One of the first things Cherry did when he arrived was expand the schedule. Previously, spring and fall tournaments were limited to four or five events. Now, the spring schedule goes from March to mid-May and has 16 or 17 events. The fall schedule runs from mid-August through November with a similar number of events. All told, the Sneds Tour offers almost 160 events throughout the year, and according to Cherry, that’s not by accident.

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“What I have tried to do was keep these kids engaged on the tour for a lot longer,” Cherry said. “Now, we start our season the first part of March and have 16-17 spring tournaments on weekends prior to summer season. Then we pick up with fall season the first part of August and run through middle November. This year, all the spring tournaments filled up for registration in about 20 to 30 minutes. It shows you the demand.”

Ages run from four all the way to the first semester of college. There are one-day tournaments and an increasing number of two-day events. Players are also divided into divisions – beginner, intermediate and advanced to ensure that there is a level playing field for players of all caliber.

The state is divided into five regions – West Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, Knoxville, Tri-Cities and Chattanooga. Entry fees for one-day events are $28 for 18 holes and $18 for nine holes.

Summer staffers run events

The tour amounts to a huge undertaking and the time and staffing demands can be daunting. However, it helps that tour alums like Snedeker and current TGF President Whit Turnbow are involved.

There are 35 paid summer staffers – mostly college golfers who grew up playing on the tour – who run the events.

“They are the face of our tour,” Cherry said of the summer interns. “Those kids played on the tour growing up.

We do staff training and they do an exceptional job and deserve credit.”

Turnbow said people are the key to Continued on page 4

Officials hope Sneds Tour continues to grow

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor With approximately 170 tournaments spanning the calendar year from March to November, the Sneds Tour is one of the largest and most ambitious junior golf opportunities in the nation.

That might be a little surprising for a state not named California, Florida or Texas, but Tennessee definitely holds its own when it comes to junior golf. The Sneds Tour boasts a membership of more than 1,800 players, and its spring tour registration sold out in less than 30 minutes. In 2020, it boasted players from 12 states.

“I love the fact that kids are playing golf in Tennessee,” PGA Tour professional Brandt Snedeker, for whom the tour is named, said. “People don’t realize how great our junior golf program is. We compete with Florida and Texas and California and we don’t have their weather. We don’t have their resources and yet we are turning out some of the best junior golfers in the country every year.”

Even with competition from regional entities such as the Hurricane Tour, the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, the Mid-South Tour and the Golfweek Tour, the Sneds Tour continues to grow, up by more than 160 players this year over 2020.

With golf booming after the pandemic led to the sport’s surge in participation, Tennessee Golf Foundation Director of Competitions Rob Cherry sees the potential for more growth and expansion.

For the first time, Cherry is planning a destination event over New Year’s in Panama City Beach, Florida.

“It’s not really golfing weather in Tennessee in December, so we thought why not try to keep them engaged by having a destination event where they can bring the whole family,” Cherry said of two-day event. “So far, registration has been good. If it’s successful, next year we might do a spring break trip to somewhere like Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach where the family can come and watch golf, then go to the beach.”

The Sneds Tour could also branch out into neighboring states and become a more regional entity.

Tennessee Golf Foundation President Whit Turnbow said those discussions are already taking place.

“We realize there is a need for more opportunities to play, but we want to make sure of a couple things,” he said. “One, we have great partners in our PGA professionals and their facilities that give us access. They are as busy as they have been in years, so we want to be respectful to them when it comes to asking for more. Two, there are plenty of opportunities to play stroke play events, so we’d like to continue to provide some other formats to the kids, such as fourball, match play, alternate shot, scramble, and team events, among others. I wouldn’t rule out the Sneds Tour having a more regional footprint eventually.”

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Tennessee Junior Tour History 1989 – 1st PGA Greater Nashville Junior Golf Tour (10-17 Boys, 12-17 Girls) 1990 – Host Courses – Smyrna, Two Rivers, Nashboro, Swan lake, Indian Hills, Hillwood, Brentwood 1991 – Added Player of the Year; Match Play Championship at The Golf Club of Tennessee; added Northern Telecom as primary sponsor 1992 – Combined all chapter junior programs (Tri Cities, Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville); added 18 year olds; sponsored 47 events; 1,062 members 1993 – 1,051 members; Brandt Snedeker won Tournament of Champions 12-13 age division

Brandt celebrates a first-place win with a competitor

Mary Sheffield Akers assists Brooks Hollis and Antonio Tigner in the scoring tent

Making memories...

Continued from page 3

the Sneds Tour success. Without their support, he said it would be nearly impossible to run it as efficiently and on such a large scale.

“We are surrounded by great people,” he said.

“Sneds and Mandy (Snedeker), the TGF staff and donors, interns, all the PGA Professionals and their facilities that allow us access, plus the parents and kids that play. It’s easy to get up in the morning knowing the work you are doing each day is providing an opportunity for a young person to be successful. They are our future, and we will strive every day to make sure they have a chance to be great.”

Snedeker’s name raises tour profile

Having the Snedeker name also helps raise the profile of the tour, just like Vince Gill’s name did before.

Turnbow said the longstanding support of others – both in the past and present – is vital to the tour’s success.

“Sneds and Vinny not only lend their name, but they are present,” he said.

“They participate, they show up, and they care. We have a long history of celebrities and tour players, all the way back to Lou Graham and others, that have spent time and money to assure the success, not only of the Sneds Tour, but of the TGF as a whole. Now, guys like Sneds, Vinny, Scott Stallings, Peter Malnati, Loren Roberts, Shaun Micheel, Keith Mitchell, Drew Holcomb, Jake Owen, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, and countless others carry the torch for us.”

Watching his son

These days, when Snedeker is not playing on the PGA Tour, he can often be found caddying for his eight-year-old son Austin on the Sneds Tour. It’s a father-son opportunity to create similar memories as to when he was growing up.

“It’s so much fun to watch him play,” Snedeker said.

“He’s not crazy with it yet but he is starting to get the bug a little bit. He’s played good in a couple of tournaments; he’s played bad in a couple of tournaments and it has been fun seeing how he handles it. More importantly, he has some buddies out there he can play with now and it’s fun to see those relationships form. That’s the whole point about golf – you make great friends and you learn a lot about someone when you play golf with them.”

1994 – 1,306 members; Brandt Snedeker named Player of the Year for Boys 12-13 age division 1995 – Lissa Bradford hired as Director of Junior Golf; rebranded Tennessee PGA Junior Tour 1996 – First statewide junior tour (players could play any event across the state) 107 events 1997 – rebranded Vince Gill Tennessee PGA Junior Tour; Age groups divided in Masters and Tour ability divisions; TGA and TPGA receive Golf Digest’s inaugural Junior Golf Development Award for the best junior golf program conducted by an association.

1998 – Lissa Bradford named PGA of America National Junior Golf Leader 1999 – Powertel added as new sponsor 2000 – Andy Bowers named director; Little Sara Lee renamed Jr. Girls Electrolux Challenge 2003 – Tour rebranded as Chrysler Vince Gill Junior Tour; 4-7 age division added; Andy Lowe named director 2005 –Launched Masters 2-Day Events TOC Masters at Golf Club 2006 – Tour rebranded Toyota TGA Junior Tour; Steve McDonald named director; 1,009 members; 95 events 2007 –1,122 members; 93 events; added 10-11 boys to Tour Division 2008 – 1,242 members; 108 events; Added 11-year-old girls to Tour Division; First year of Tour Division Regional Championships; Tri Cities Junior Series launched 2009 – 1,382 members; 117 events 2010 – 1,382 members; 114 events 2011 – 1,459 members; 113 events; Knoxville Junior Series launched 2012 – 1,518 members; 121 events; Scott Stallings, in partnership with TGF, created The Junior Cup 2013 – 1,586 members; 125 events; Changed girls tour to 12-18 (9- or 18- hole events) 2014 – 135 events 2015 – Rebrand The Sneds Tour with Hayden Echols as director; 1,525 members; 146 events; added Open Events 2016 – Rob Cherry named director; 1,566 Members; 144 events; added Skills Series and Tour Division 2-Day events 2017 – 1,479 members; 136 Events 2018 – 1,490 members; 136 events; added Prep Series events

Lissa Bradford, PGA and Senior Director of Junior Golf for the Tennessee Golf Foundation. Lissa shows four scheduled SNEDS tournaments this day.

2019 – 1,555 members; 139 Events

(L-R) Mary Sheffield Akers, Rob Cherry, Director of Competitions, TGF, Valeria Vargas, and Izzy Griggs

2020 – 1,624 members; 140 events; only 7 cancelled events due to Covid with all but one rescheduled for fall; offered a TGF Quaran-Tee X-Box competition 2021 – Over 1,800 members; 159 events

July 2021

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From tHE Editor

By Gregg Dewalt

Stallings provides boost to TGF’s Kids Play Free initiative

J

unior golf is one of the causes that is near and dear to PGA Tour pro Scott Stallings’ heart.

He’s been a driving force behind the Kids Play Free initiative in Knoxville as part of the Tennessee Golf Foundation’s ongoing efforts to grow the game.

At the recent Travelers Championship in Hartford, Connecticut, Stallings, who lives in Knoxville got a big cash boost for Kids Play Free when he won a closest to the pin competition before the tournament started.

Pros were invited to hit one shot Scott Stallings, center, accepts a check for $10,000 for from approximately 85 yards to a the TGF after winning a closest to the hole contest. floating umbrella – the Travelers trademarked logo. The winner of the closest to the pin competition won $10,000 to be donated to the charity of his choice.

Sarah Ingram gets Stallings promptly knocked it stiff to win Pine Valley invite what was dubbed the “151/2 Hole ChalPine Valley is widely considered one of the lenge.”

“I’m excited to bring some money back to best, if not the best, golf course in the world.

It also has been one of the most private the Kids Play Free program there in Knoxville where I live and is part of the Tennes- with its men-only membership policy. That policy has evoked criticism from a variety of see Golf Foundation,” Stallings said.

Fourteen of the 67 players who chose to sources, and rightly so.

Finally, in a move that has been long overparticipate landed a ball on The Umbrella at due, Golf.com reported that the exclusive 15 ½, the 40-foot-long floating green in the shape of the Travelers red umbrella logo. club located in New Jersey has opened its The Umbrella at 15 ½ is located in the pond membership to women, and a Nashville at TPC River Highlands between holes 15 and 16.

The other players placing the ball on the green after the 85-yard shot were Ryan Armour, Sam Burns, Kevin Chappell, Michael Kim, Nate Lashley, Hank Lebioda, Tom Lewis, William McGirt, Keith Mitchell, Adam Sarah Ingram Schenk, Bo Van Pelt and Aaron Wise.

PUBLISHER Joe Hall pgegolf@bellsouth.net

EDITOR Gregg Dewalt teetimesgregg@gmail.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Justin Onslow

SENIOR EDITOR David Widener widecard@aol.com

resident is one of the first three female members. Golf.com reported on July 2 that Pine Valley admitted Annika Sorenstam, Sarah Ingram and Meghan Stasi to the club.

Ingram seems to be a perfect choice.

She’s currently preparing for her role as the U.S. Curtis Cup team captain, an event that will be played in late August in Wales, and enjoyed a remarkable amateur career. She also is a Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame member.

Sorenstam was an obvious selection, given her World Golf Hall of Fame career. Stasi, a New Jersey native, is a Florida State Golf Hall of Fame member and played on the winning 2008 Curtis Cup team.

Sorenstam, Ingram and Stasi should be celebrated for hopefully paving the way for more females to become members at Pine Valley. The bigger question for the club’s male membership should be, ‘What took you so long?’ Even Augusta National came on board years ago.

of Memphis. Heck earned exempt status by completing 72 holes at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open and for winning the NCAA championship.

The U.S. Women’s Amateur is scheduled for Westchester Country Club in New York Aug. 2-8. There are two rounds of qualifying and then the field is cut to 64 for the match play portion of the event.

Golf continues its surge

If you have had trouble getting a tee time lately or thought that your local course seems a bit more crowded, there’s a reason for that.

The National Golf Foundation reported that rounds were up 18.1 percent month-overmonth and that for the year, rounds are up 33.6 percent.

Research for the NGF is done by DataTech.

The surge was expected, according to the NGF, as “12 states lifted virus-related restrictions on golf during the first two weeks of the month in 2020. And even though most golf courses had reopened by mid-May of last year, many areas were still faced with operational limitations that included wider tee time intervals, walking-only provisions, oneAdams, Linder headed to rider carts, reduced guest rounds and groups U.S. Women’s Amateur of two players instead of foursomes.”

Kynadie Adams and Sophie Linder each The NGF report said that an punched their tickets to the U.S. argument can be made that the Women’s Amateur recently at surge in rounds “really began the Belle Meade Country Club last June, when monthly rounds qualifier. played first began to significantly Adams, of Gallatin, shot 69 surpass historical averages.” to take home medalist honors The NGF said June and the upby three shots, while Linder, of coming months will determine if Carthage, shot 74 to earn one of rounds will remain “at last year’s the five spots available at Belle elevated levels or ‘revert to the Meade.

Kynadie Adams mean.”

Also in the field is Rachel Heck

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Opinion

By David Widener

Member Golf Writers Association of America

New rivalry brewing on PGA Tour D

oes the PGA Tour really need a feud between two of its high profile players, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, in order to keep the interest of its fans? Thanks to social media it’s getting it regardless and it’s turning Brooks Koepka vs. Bryson DeChambeau into a bitter rivalry. You also can thank the new Player Impact Program bonus pool announced in April by Tour commissioner Jay Monahan that gives $40 million to players who drive fan and sponsor engagement the most.

Not sure what will happen the rest of the year, Tiger Woods vs. Phil Michelson but my money is on those two taking home some of self-serious nerd who makes golf seem that bonus. The feud certainly has driv- more complicated and interesting than en fan engagement as obvious by social Koepka claims it is. He plays too slow, media comments and spectators eject- talks too much and complains about ed for heckling DeChambeau at the too many minor nuisances.”

Memorial Tournament. Then Koepka The USGA wanted to pair the two in posted a video offering free beer to any the opening two rounds of the U.S. spectators kicked out for the heckling. Open, but DeChambeau declined the On his Instagram page, DeChambeau offer to play with Koepka. The duo posted a headshot of Koepka with a could be included in Team USA for the smaller image of himself saying he was upcoming Ryder Cup in September and living “rent free” in the four-time major if so, might be paired together at some winner’s head. point in the competition.

“We just don’t like each other, Koepka Both rely on strength, distance and told ESPN. However, both golfers think a disciplined workout regimen. Dethe rivalry is good for the game be- Chambeau leads the tour in driving the cause of the attention it brings to the ball and Koepka plays his best golf at tournaments. major championships so it’s a natural The spat ignited at the PGA Champi- rivalry. onship when Koepka was agitated by The long-standing etiquette of golf is Bryson’s loudness as he walked be- one of the obstacles preventing true hind him in the middle of an interview rivalries from developing on Tour, but which caused him to lose his train of there have been some legendary ones thought. in the past with two involving Tiger Michael Rosenberg of SI-Morning Woods and two involving Jack NickRead says DeChambeau is everything laus.

Koepka hates about his profession: “A See Rivalry on page 15

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Around Nashville Fairways Wayne Evans

Superintendent of Sports/ Golf Clubhouse Operations

Two Rivers honors retiring Dahlgren, Devault Longtime Two Rivers Golf Course Manager Cynthia Dahlgren is retiring in August after more than 35 years with Metro Parks.

Recently, Barry Devault, Assistant Manager at Two Rivers Golf Course who worked for Metro Parks for 30plus years, retired as well. We want to sincerely thank them both for their many years of dedicated service to our Parks department and the citizens of Nashville.

As a surprise to the retirees, the Two Rivers Golf Association (TRGA) and the Two Rivers Senior Golf Association (TRSGA) funded the project and placed a plaque to honor Both Dahlgren and Devault. The bridge was built on the No. 5 hole (for access to the white tees).

They have both been prominent in the Nashville golfing community.

Barry is a former champion of the annual James H. Fyke Municipal Amateur Championship, and Cynthia is a former winner of the Women’s Amateur Championship. We want everyone to join us in not only thanking them, but to wish them happy retirement years.

The James H. Fyke Municipal Amateur Championship will be played with a full field, after limited numbers last year

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with COVID- 19 protocols. The dates are July, 16, 17, and 18, and will utilize McCabe, Two Rivers, Harpeth Hills, and Ted Rhodes over the course of the three day championship. The final round will be contested at McCabe, and players will get to play on the new TIFEagle greens, installed last summer.

On hand to defend his title will be Phillip Lee, a three time MUNI Champ (2015,

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2018, and 2020) We are so grateful to host a full field after limited numbers last year to meet COVD 19 protocols.

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aced No. 8 at McCabe Golf Course with an 8-iron on the 104yard hole. Kenny Watson witnessed the shot.

Come out to any of the Metro Parks course. They are in great shape and we look forward to seeing you.

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Loren Personett (L), PGA/ Manager at McCabe, Boys Champion Carter Stroup, and Tennesseans’ Mike Organ

(L-R) Loren Personett, McCabe GC, Runner-up Ace Hogg, and Mike Organ, Tennessean

Girls Champion Ava Bankston is flanked by McCabe GC GM Loren Personett (L) and Tennessean’s Mike Organ

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Runner-Up Girls, Alex Crews with McCabe GC, Loren Personett and co-sponsor Mike Organ, Tennessean

12-13 Boys runner-up McKade Mix (L) and champion, Keith McArthur

Stroup, Bankston are top winners at Schooldays Tee Times Report The 95th Tennessean/Metro Parks Schooldays golf tournament featured a limited field of 68 players due to Covid-19 restrictions. Monsoon rains also hampered the event, but despite it all, champions were crowned.

Carter Stroup and Ace Hogg headed into the final round of the boys division championship with the opportunity to become only the fifth

14-year-old champion in the tournament’s long history. It took an extra playoff hole for Stroup, a rising freshman at Greenbrier, to finally beat Hogg 1-up. Hogg, of Gallatin, is home -schooled. Stroup parred the extra hole while Hogg three-putted for a bogey to decide the winner.

Stroup joined an elite group of 14-year-old winners that includes Richard Eller, who won in 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1964. Eller went on to be-

come a PGA professional as well as Mike Eller, who won Schooldays in 1967. Both of the Ellers followed in the footsteps of dad, pro Harold Eller, of Old Hickory Country Club.

Ava Bankston defeated Alex Crews 3 and 2 for the girl’s championship.

Down the stretch, putting became Bankston’s forte in the girls division, In fact, the rising Lipscomb Academy junior won the match by sinking a 25foot downhill putt on No. 16. Bankston

took a four-hole lead before Crews won Nos. 9 and 11 with birdies to cut the deficit to two.

Crews, a rising freshman at Ensworth, was happy to get back in the match and make it close, but gave Bankston credit for being able to hold her off.

In the 12-13 boys’ championship, Keith McArthur from Hendersonville defeated McKade Mix from Lafayette 5&4.

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Giving Voice to the Voiceless Graham Honeycutt, Executive Director We at Tucker’s House have a core belief that drives us in everything we do. We believe that every child should have the ability to feel at home. We manifest this belief in our specific mission to partner with families who have children with disabilities to make their homes safer and more accessible. However, there is a myriad of ways to carry out that belief in our communities to people of every ability, race, gender, or any other qualifier you choose. We are all children. We are all neighbors. We should all feel at home.

We have heard quite a bit in our culture lately about giving voice to those that are marginalized or underrepresented in our communities.

Children with disabilities certainly fall in this category and our organization was founded to help give a voice to these often voiceless in our society. We also give voice to these special families who often struggle in their homes in silence.

We are proud to advocate on their behalf to help them receive the help they need to make their homes places of respite instead of a place filled with difficulty, struggle, and danger.

Tucker’s House is a 501(c)3 non-profit that serves the Middle Tennessee area. It was founded in 2009 by Sunny Rosanbalm who has a grandson named Tucker who has Cerebral Palsy. When Tucker was 3 ½ years old she began to see the struggles that her son and daughterin-law were having in their home with lifting and bathing Tucker. She started looking in the community to find resources for families who have a child with disabilities to make necessary home modifications. She found absolutely noth-

TS GC

Monday, August 30, 2021 Nashville Golf & Athletic Club

Tucker’s House is excited to offer this day of friendly competition and camaraderie to benefit the Tucker’s House mission of partnering with families who have children with disabilities and making their homes safer and more accessible. There will be TWO shotguns starts at 8:00 am & 1:30 pm! Participants will enjoy a fun day of golf on one of Nashville’s premier golf courses, along with breakfast, lunch, dinner, silent auction and awards.

Partnership Opportunities!

ing and after significant prayer and research, she decided to start Tucker’s House. Sunny was uniquely qualified to start Tucker’s House because of her background in architectural design and working with her husband who is a General Contractor.

12 years later Tucker’s House has grown from a one-woman show to a team of 9 with an operating budget of over $500,000. Even amid the pandemic last year we were able to serve 43 families, complete 130 home projects, and create $611,702 value of impact to the community.

The mission placed on Sunny’s heart has grown into something bigger than she could have imagined and has become quite the legacy for Tucker. She also reflects that “it is also a legacy for all the children we serve. It’s been these families and these children all along the way who have taught us what this community needs.”

I joined Tucker’s House in April of 2020 as the new Executive Director for the organization, as Sunny was looking to transition to be more involved in the life of Tucker and her other grandchildren. I first learned of Tucker’s House through a therapist of my daughter Mikayla who was born with Dandy-Walker Syndrome and significant special needs. Sunny and our current Therapy Coordinator, Sandra Zaccari, completed a home modification plan for our home and helped us with a wheelchair ramp and a safer bed for her.

Tragically, Mikayla passed away in September of 2018 due to medical complications of her shunt. In Mykayla’s memory I stayed involved.

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Summertime is golf time at the Legacy of Springfield Let me begin with two important staff introductions.

In January we were fortunate to have Ryan Flora come aboard as our assistant golf professional. He is a native of Louisville and a graduate of Western Kentucky University. Ryan’s enthusiasm with everything that is thrown at an assistant is refreshing and he tackles all situations with a determination that is all we could ask of him “I really am happy to be here under the direction of Kevin Holler and I have learned so much,” Flora said. “He is such a great PGA Professional to work for and with. I especially love teaching and the great kids that we had in June for the Robertson County Junior Association Clinics and the PGA jr have just increased that love. Along the way I have picked up some lessons and this is just icing on the cake. It is as good as it gets for me here.”

In April our longtime assistant superintendent, John Hughes, was promoted to superintendent. John was born and raised in Johnson City but some 22 years ago landed here in Springfield. John began work on the maintenance crew here

Kevin Holler, PGA /GM and morning group of clinic juniors

Legacy Men’s Golf Association Stableford Competition 1st Tie

3rd Tie

5th 6th Tie

John Hughes - Superintendent 20-plus years ago and his hard work landed him the assistant’s job. Now, those years of effort and dedication have made him the natural choice. He brings many years of expertise to his role and never missed a beat in the transition.

Robertson County Junior Golf Association Clinic youngsters

Ryan Flora - Assistant Golf Professional “I have always enjoyed working outdoors as most crews and other supers will tell you,” Hughes said. “It is hard work, long work weeks and bottom line, rewarding. My crew and I discussed who should be our new assistant super,

Ryan Flora, Assistant Golf Professional and eager clinic kids

Ryan Flora, Assistant Golf Professional and his group

Dan Gurgiolo +8 Joe Mac Traughber +8 Butch O’Kelley +6 Michael Moore +6 John Traughber +5 Greg Johnson +4 Mark Hannon +4 Troy Goad +4

and I am proud to say Jeff Weatherman has assumed that position. We have a dedicated and hard-working crew and to a man, pride ourselves in the way we maintain our course for the enjoyment of our golfers” We are pleased to have pulled off another successful year for the Robertson Co. Junior Golf Association clinics and the PGA Junior League.

Thank you, Kevin Holler, PGA Director of Golf The Legacy Golf Course

Kevin Holler, Director of Golf/GM and clinic kids

July 2021

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TEE TIMES

11

Remaking a classic

Historic Overton Park course in Memphis inches closer toward reopening after King-Collins renovation

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor There’s plenty of golf history when the topic of conversation turns to Memphis.

Part of that history includes the FedEx St, Jude Classic that dates to 1958, the first year of the tournament when Billy Maxwell edged Cary Middlecoff by one shot at Colonial Country Club. Throughout the years, tournament winners have included a who’s who list of the game’s greats, including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and Dustin Johnson.

That tournament might have put Memphis on the map, but long before the PGA Tour came to town golf had already etched its name into the landscape. The Links at Overton Park first opened in 1906. The Links at Galloway and the Links at Riverside have been around since the 1920s.

Those three courses, along with four others, are the only public golf courses inside the Memphis city limits. Also, they are operated by the city’s parks department.

As you can tell, public golf is alive and well in Memphis. Mickey Barker is in his seventh year as the city’s administrator for golf in the city. Before assuming that role, he spent nearly 14 years as the head professional at The Links at Galloway.

In his opinion, things have never been better for the city’s seven courses. Most years, combined the city’s courses average between 140,000 and 150,000 rounds played.

The city operates four 18-hole courses and three nine-hole facilities. Galloway underwent renovations in 2001 and Whitehaven in 2005. Overton Park is undergoing renovations now and could pos-

The Links at Galloway Championship 1 2 3 3 5 5

Josh Warlick Winburne Hughes Boyd Brannan IV Vaughn Crawford Jim Bedwell Ryan DuLaney

67 68 69 69 70 70

The Links at Fox Meadows Championship Tad King (L) and Rob Collins, design gurus sibly reopen this fall. The Links at Pine Hill will undergo a complete renovation in 2022.

“Our golf courses are very good,” Barker said. “They have plenty of length and are challenging, but they aren’t going to beat you up. At courses like Fox Meadow and Galloway, it’s possible to shoot your lowest score ever. They are enjoyable.”

When it was announced that The Links at Overton Park was getting a re-do by King-Collins Golf, public golf in Memphis got an immediate boost. Rob Collins, the brainchild behind Sweetens Cove in South Pittsburg, is one of the hottest designers in golf. His presence on the project brought an immediate spotlight to the historic 2,200-yard course that winds through a forest in the middle of town.

The bones of the course have stayed in place, but King-Collins reshaped the fairways and rebuilt the greens and bunkers.

Barker is excited to see the finished product.

“They did some really, really cool stuff,” Barker said. “The greens are much larger and undulating. They went from less than half an acre of greens to having an acre and a half of greens. They are great guys to work with - their golf course architecture is different. It’s out of the box and not your typical golf course – it’s definitely not something we have seen around the Memphis area.”

The course will also feature a hole that is par 31/2.

“It’ll be a lot of fun for any level – beginners, senior golfers or junior golfers who don’t hit it very far will be able to play it,” he said. “But also, your low handicap or scratch golfer will be tested by the greens and the greens surrounds.”

According to Barker, just about every golfer in Memphis has a story about Over-

1 2 2 4 4 4

Adam Hartman David Apperson Ryan Bell Steve Bell Christopher Hastings Barry Stafford

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ton Park, which will be rebranded as the Overton Park 9.

“Everybody who grew up playing golf in Memphis has a story about Overton Park,” Barker said. “We want to continue that. It’s also one of the hottest areas for growth in the city. It could not be in a better location.”

Barker said the course will not reopen until “it is absolutely ready to go and fully grown in.”

“Before we put golfers out there, we want to have a very good product in place,” he said.

While Overton Park’s course is completed, Pine Hill will be getting ready to undergo its own renovations. Barker said the course will shut down completely next year, noting the architecture and engineering is already underway.

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Simplifying Golf Academy

By Justin Onslow Tee Times Associate Editor There’s a through line at Riverside Golf Links in Old Hickory, Tennessee. It’s one that began at a fortuitous intersection between Michel “Barney” Alary and Garrick Malone, both instructors who operate at the facility and run their own golf academies. That Alary once taught Malone is the obvious connection, but the similitude runs much deeper, though there’s a good chance that student-teacher relationship was the starting point.

Alary, a 52-year-old former college standout at Austin Peay (where he has multiple All-OVC honors including 1991 OVC Player of the Year) and 2016 Middle Tennessee PGA Teacher of the Year, operates his Simplifying Golf Academy at Riverside. His methods are predicated on some of the most basic of principles that inform the golf swing: hitting the ball in the center of the club face, hitting the turf second and doing it without a slice. It’s really that simple.

“The Barney trifecta is to figure out how to make your swing – without knowing your body shape, background, whether your swing is a little long or short or upright or flat – can we figure out how to get your swing to hit the center of the face, hit the ground in front of the ball and do it so it doesn’t slice? If so, you’re immediately in the classification of a better-quality golfer,” Alary says of his methods.

All the training aids and swing thoughts and drills don’t matter all that much if a golfer isn’t first addressing the “collision” that takes place at the bottom of the swing. To do that, Alary applies subtle tweaks to his students’ existing golf swings. He’s not trying to drastically change anything except where the club face is going and what the resulting shot looks like.

“Somewhere along the way, your golf swing is not totally dissimilar to your fingerprint,” Alary posits. “There’s a reason your swing might feel natural. Whatever the case is, I don’t ever want to say, ‘your swing’s not working.’ This is your swing. I’m helping you figure out how to make your swing better.”

The Student and the Teacher

Barney Alary, PGA Simplifying Golf barney@simplifying golfacademy.com 615-594-8022

Alary once gave lessons to Malone, the latter of whom gave up baseball at 12 years old to commit to his obsession for the game of golf. Though Malone didn’t go on to play golf in college like Alary, the 36-year-old was no less passionate about the sport – and in particular the nuances of the golf swing.

“I videoed every live golf tournament and recorded on VHS from 1998 to 2004 before we had apps and things,” Malone admits. “I’d put dry erase marks on the TV and slow down swings and stuff. I’ve always been kind of obsessed with the golf swing and golf in general.

“I started coaching a team when I was 19 or 20. Some stu-

dents had a lot of success and started getting scholarships. Other people wanted lessons because of the results and it just kind of came about.”

What “came about” was the highly successful Malone Golf Academy, centered at Riverside alongside Alary and his Simplifying Golf Academy. They operate in unison, not as competitors but as two instructors teaching the same principles in much the same way.

“The goal is to figure out what’s happening with the club at impact,” Malone says.

“You have to control the face, you have to control where the divot is and you have to control the path. If you take care of those three things, you’re going to be a pretty good golfer.”

Sound familiar?

Alary and Malone both seek to make the complex simple. Their instruction isn’t all about teaching a singular takeaway or downswing. Alary isn’t attempting to “try to turn a guy into Adam Scott”. Malone doesn’t set out to assign a particular swing template to someone who already has a swing of their own.

At the end of the day, the teacher and his former-student-turned-teacher are just trying to help you hit it square and hit it straight.

The Real Boss

&

Riversi A place to learn,

Friends who love

The end result is one thing, getting there is something entirely different. For Malone, it begins with an understanding that he’s not really calling the shots.

“The student isn’t the boss and I’m not the boss in the lesson – the ball is,” he quips. “I’m just a guide to help students get better.”

With that comes the understanding that motivation and communication are key.

“Sometimes a person needs help finding a goal, but ultimately, I can only tell them what to do,” Malone says. “They’re the ones in the drivers seat. They can hit the brakes or the gas or take a sideways approach; it’s up to them. I don’t enforce my goal upon them. I like to exceed their goals, but it has to come from them.”

Malone’s approach then is one he calls “holistic” in nature. He accepts that the end result – controlling the face and the divot and the swing path – is the finish line and that several paths diverge outward from there. One of those paths is by and large mental and emotional.

“The mental always shows up in the physical,” he explains. “I have yet to meet a choke artist. Most of the students I’ve seen, the anxiety comes from doubt as to where the ball will go, and that

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ide Links

July 2021

TEE TIMES

13

Malone Golf Academy

, practice and Play

doubt is from lack of understanding of why they’re having that inconsistency.

They also don’t have structure in place to manage that anxiety and fear.”

“Anxiety and fear wrap up and it becomes a mental issue. It manifests into a physical, mechanical problem from lack of a solution.”

So, Malone creates the mechanical solutions, thereby giving his students the means to make good contact, ball first, controlling the face and the divot and the swing path. Address the symptoms, fix the issue.

Simple.

Simple is as Simple Does

As complex as the golf swing can be and often is, swing aid manufacturers often find ways of making things even more complicated. Wrist trainers and alignment tools and arm bands – the market is saturated. You could spend hours researching the “most effective” (and usually most expensive) swing aids, but Alary’s years of experience have taught him one very important thing: You often only need simple e golf and teaching tools to simplify the golf swing.

“For at least 20 years of my life I’ve been putting stickers on [students’] golf clubs because it fascinates me that I know where you had impact on the golf club, but odds are you don’t,” he explains.

“There’s an east-west and north-south to this. We’ve got to figure out how to move the mark to the center of the face. Do we need to get taller or shorter? Do we need to move the ball back in the stance or forward in the stance?”

In addition to stickers, Alary keeps it simple with turf paint for swing path analysis, only moving to the launch monitors to confirm his suspicions or as a last-ditch effort to make sense of things.

“No one uses more turf grass paint than I do,” he jokes. “Between the stickers and the paint and the video, doggonit you’re going to get better.”

Less Thinking, More Doing

“See three knuckles. Left arm straight. Turn and pivot. Don’t get too long, though. Head down. Center over the ball. Weight through impact.”

If your swing includes a mental checklist that could fill a CVS receipt, you’re probably not a student of Alary’s methods.

“There’s so many swing thoughts out there,” Alary says. “If the swing thought can help with the collision of the club coming

into the ball, I’m good. But if you have a swing thought that makes you lose sight of all that, I’m not going to like it. The ball’s not going to fly good because you’re thinking of your right knee and left knee and right foot and left hip.

“Among the best of golfers, generally they’ve got the fewest swing thoughts. You get a 10-, 15-, 20-handicap, they can write an essay. When the swing starts getting simpler and more efficient, we’ve got a chance of making it more athletic. I don’t want to be thinking about my elbow when I’m trying to qualify for this tournament. I don’t want to be thinking about all these swing mechanics.”

Again, it comes down to simplicity.

Alary and Malone both seek to take the complexities of the swing and translate everything into an easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement program that results in solid impact and good golf shots.

And while Alary has some awards to hang his hat on, it’s the positive feedback from his students that keeps him motivated.

“A lot of people I give lessons to, they’ve had lessons from other people and they’re in disbelief as to the simplification,” he says.

Putting It All Together

“In the words of my buddy Russ, ‘Barney, by the time I get to the green, putting doesn’t matter. We’ve got to get to a point where putting matters,’” says Alary of an interaction he once had with one of his students.

The collision of club and ball remains the key to playing good golf. That’ll never change.

Still, there’s much more to the game, and both instructors understand that. For Malone, it’s all about helping students reach a specific goal – usually a number they set out to break.

“Putting to short game to bunkers to wedge shots to being able to hit a tee shot. Ultimately, there’s a score, and a golfer wants to be able to get to a certain level,” he says. “You have to devise some sort of plan to be able to get to that level.”

That’s where experience really shines. Alary and Malone, though possessing different levels of experience, both use their knowledge and understanding and teaching skills to create plans and motivate their students to execute them.

And the beauty of those plans – and the brilliance of the teachers – is in their simplicity.

Garrick Malone Teaching Professional

Malone Golf Academy malone.garrick@gmail.com 615- 269-6863

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TEE TIMES

Ray breaks through at Tennessee Open for 1st professional victory Tee Times Report DICKSON – Two years ago Nolan Ray claimed the Tennessee Amateur title, which set the stage for him eventually turning professional less than a year later.

In early June at GreyStone Golf Club, he claimed what he hopes will be another career-defining victory.

The Brentwood native, pulled away over the final eight holes to notch the first win of his pro career at the 72nd annual Tennessee Open Championship. The trophy came with a first-place prize of $10,000.

“This feels like a big step for me,” said Ray, who had recorded a couple of runner-up finishes on the SwingThought Tour prior to his breakthrough moment this week.

“It feels a little bit different (compared to winning the Tennessee Amateur). This is my first professional win. I don’t think I would be here without the State Am win.”

“Hopefully this is just another step for me - another step in the right direction.”

Ray – a product of Tennessee junior golf, having grown up on the Sneds Tour and other local tournaments – spent four years playing for the University of Tennessee before joining the Lipscomb University squad as a graduate transfer last year.

Just as he did at the Honors Course two years ago for the Tennessee Amateur, he walked off the 18th green at GreyStone to hugs from his father, Don, and fiancé, Anna, as well as many others.

“To have that support on such a spe-

Congrats from TGA’s Chad Anderson to Cameron Tankersley, runner-up and low Am TGA Execute Director, Chad Anderson lends Nolan Ray, Champion, a helping hand cial occasion means the world to me,” Ray said.

Ray arrived at GreyStone having played in a 36-hole U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier in Atlanta the day before, leaving him low on energy and not having played a practice round for the Tennessee Open.

“I was really tired all week,” Ray admitted. “Honestly, I think it may have helped me a little bit. I was just trying to take it one shot at a time. I didn’t have any energy to waste. I told myself before every round, ‘Don’t get mad.

Don’t get overly excited. You’ve only got so much energy in the tank’.”

Ray entered the final round at 15-un-

FYI

Audie Johnson, PGA 6 Decades of Playing Tennessee State Open

1970: First time competing as a 15 year old 1980: Amateur years 1990: Best finish - 1995 runner-up to Jared Melson 2000: Played all years 2010: Played all years 2020: Competed here in June 2021 *Only missed one event over the years, due to conflict with the PGA National Club Championship

Allison Brown, TGA Sr. Director of Rules & Competition gives a “congrats hug “ to champion, Nolan Ray der, one stroke ahead of local high school standout, 17-year-old Cameron Tankersley of Dickson, and two up on veteran David Holmes of Knoxville.

The front nine featured a few birdies but little separation among the top three. Tankersley tied for the lead on two occasions, after birdies on 1 and 10. He bogeyed 11, though, and Holmes birdied, which reset the scoreboard and left the trio just how they started – with one stroke between each of them.

Ray birdied three of the next four holes, though, to get to 20-under and up his margin to four strokes over Tankersley. The eventual champion added another birdie on 17 and finished with a round of 6-under 66. His 54-hole total was 21-under (65-65-66).

Tankersley finished second and low amateur at 18-under (62-68-68). Another Dickson County product, Ben Wolcott, stormed up the leaderboard with a 64 on the final day to finish alone in third at 17-under.

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TEE TIMES

Kresge coasts to Senior State Open championship

By David Theoret For Tee Times Paper Tee Times Report CROSSVILLE – Cliff Kresge came into the Tennessee Senior State Open among the favorites to win the title.

The former PGA Tour and current PGA Tour Champions member led from the start and lived up to his favorite status on the way to a five-shot victory over two players.

Kresge shot 67-73 to finish at 4-under par in the 36-hole event. He was the only player to have a round in the 60s and to break par in the tournament played at the demanding Stonehenge course.

Kresge won $6,000.

Kresge distanced himself from the field with a first-round 67. That left him with a four-shot lead over defending champion Bill Breen.

Four players were another shot behind at 72 — Jake Reeves, Scott Wilson, Buddy Hartson and amateur Steve Golliher.

Cooler weather and a brisk breeze in the second round made scoring a little more difficult. Kresge was 2-over on the front nine but immediately got back to even par for the round with an eagle on the 10th hole to further separate himself from the pack. None of the chasers could mount a threat over the final eight holes.

Three players tied for second at 145 – Kingsport’s Allen Fennell, Mt. Juliet’s Audie Johnson and Williston’s Tim Jackson.

Breen and Walt Chapman were another shot back at 146.

Amateurs ruled the Super Senior Division, with Thomas Baird (7475) taking a three-shot win over Chattanooga’s Wes Gilliland (73-79).

The Tennessee PGA would like to thank our Title Sponsor of the event, The City of Crossville, for being such a generous partner. Without the support of Crossville, Tennessee, the Senior State Open Championship would not be possible. Another thank you to Imperial

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Rivalry Continued from page 6

Cliff Kresge Headwear and Cleveland/Srixon/XXIO/ Asics for being supporting partners of the event.

We would also like to give a special thank you to the Director of Golf, Jeff Houston, PGA, Head Professional, Jeremy Jones, PGA, and Superintendent Sean VanHoose, as well as the rest of the staff at Stonehenge Golf Club for hosting such a successful event.

Tiger vs. Jack Nicklaus: Jack finished with 73 wins and a multitude of second-place finishes in majors. Tiger has 82 wins, tying Sam Snead for most Tour victories and hoping to add more if he recovers from a serious car accident.

Tiger vs. Phil Mickelson: No better Sunday matchup than Phil and Tiger.

The greatest lefty against perhaps the greatest player. They have battled over the No. 1 spot for most of their careers.

Jack Nicklaus vs. Tom Watson: From 1977 through 1982 they battled over the title of golf’s best player.

Watson won six majors while Nicklaus was runner-up in five of them and also won three majors.

Greg Norman vs. Nick Faldo: Over an eight-year period one of them held the No. 1 spot in golf. Ultimately, Norman came out on top 20-9 in PGA Tour victories but Faldo had a 6-3 edge in majors.

Sam Snead vs. Ben Hogan: Snead shares the PGA Tour career wins record with 82 while Hogan had 64 despite missing time because of a serious car accident. Their rivalry lasted for 20 years. Snead said, “The three things I fear most in golf are lightning, Ben Hogan and a downhill putt.”

Arnold Palmer vs. Jack Nicklaus: A match made in heavy. The Golden Bear against Arnie’s Army. Nicklaus finished with a record 18 majors and 73 victories while Palmer won seven majors paired with 62 PGA Tour titles.

Bobby Jones vs. Walter Hagen: They squared off in ‘The Match of the Century” in 1925 which Hagen won 12-11. Jones never turned pro but the amateur won the Grand Slam in 1930.

Each made their mark on the sport they helped to popularize.

Mickey Wright vs. Kathy Whitworth: Bleacherreport ranks it as the greatest rivalry. From 1958 through 1973 either Wright or Whitworth led the LPGA Tour in victories 13 times.

Wright finished her career with 82 victories and 13 majors while Whitworth had 88 wins, the most all-time.

Will DeChambeau and Koepka join the list? Only time will tell, but when it comes down to it, we are our own biggest rival. How many of us have cursed under our breath when we shank or slice the ball or miss a short putt? I plead guilty.

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July 2021

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The Senior/Champions PGA Tour

By Bobby Greenwood, PGA “Perhaps there are some players who have dreams of playing on the Senior PGA Tour. Like myself, after playing seven years on the regular PGA Tour, and after turning 50 years old of age I too tried to qualify for the Senior Tour three times. I made it to the last stage of qualifying by finishing fourth in the National Senior PGA Championship in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

The final stage was held in Palm Springs,

California where the weather changed and it snowed! Needless to say, I missed qualifying there. I did play some Senior events but only a couple on the Champions Tour.

The first Senior Tour event that I played was the Space Coast Senior Classic at Suntree Country Club in Florida. At half way point (27 holes), I was 9-under par and tied for the lead with Miller Barber.

But my vision of grandeur vanished fast after I bogeyed 10 and double bogeyed 11. One good thing that came out of play-

ing there was that I was later hired as the head golf pro at Suntree Country Club, a beautiful 36-hole resort course in Melbourne, Florida.

Once at the Senior PGA Championship, I was playing a practice round with Arnold Palmer and he asked me why I was not on the Senior Tour. I told him that I had tried three times to qualify and had failed. His advice to me was to come out for Monday qualifying and win a 54-hole tournament. That would be easier than going through 2 stages of qualifying tournaments at 72 holes each. That’s how Arnold Palmer thinks.

He and I were playing in a twosome and I took the opportunity to ask him.

‘Arnie, are you a Christian?’ He said, ‘Bobby, I have been asked ten thousand questions in my life but no one ever asked me that. Yes, I am a Christian but not a very good one.’ I said, ‘Well, none of us are.’

So, let’s see what it takes for you to play on the Champions Tour today. Because of having smaller fields (78 golfers), there are generally no “cuts” between any of the rounds. The first 60 places in the field are filled as follows: • The top 30 players of the previous year’s PGA Tour Champions money list.

• Up to 30 players who are in the top 70 of the all-time combined PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions money list.

This leaves 18 places: • Among the 18 spots… up to 5 spots for sponsor’s exemptions.

• Up to 4 spots for Monday qualifiers, this was my only hope, also subject to reduction or elimination. Usually, 75 to 100 players going for 4 spots.

I know it sounds very difficult to qualify … and it is; but it is worth it to try if you still have a game at age 50. By the way, in 2006, the Champions Tour Division Board voted to allow players the option to use golf carts during most events on the tour.

To give you an idea of how lucrative it can be, the top career money winner on the PGA Champions Tour is Bernard Langer who has won over $30 million!

Yes, there is big money in Big-time tournament golf. Phil Mickelson after turning 50, became eligible for the PGA Tour Champions circuit during 2020 and won 2 of his 3 starts. Mickelson now has won a combined career total of $92,876,195.00 as of the end of the 2020 season.

See Memories on page 20

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G

olf is a favorite pastime among many people, but several months after the pandemic hit, a major increase in golfers frequenting courses around the country was reported according to numerous national news sources such as The Washington Post, GolfPass and Golf Digest along with market research sources like Golf Datatech.

This influx of players also includes beginners, women, and youth golfers. The unexpected golf resurgence taking the industry by storm has extended into 2021 with many courses across the nation experiencing the most rounds of golf they have seen in years.

Gaylord Springs Golf Links is part of Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center located in Nashville, Tennessee and has earned the reputation as one of the top courses to play in the state. While the course has been popular among locals and visitors alike since it opened, over the past year the Scottish Links style course has logged record rounds of golf.

Harry Taylor, the facility’s Director of Golf Operations, shares the news about the welcomed growth. “We had an extremely fruitful and record-breaking 2020 and that growth is continuing into 2021. Additionally, there is a surge among beginner golfers and enthusiasts who took a break and are getting back into the sport.

Our golf shop staff has noticed many new local faces and out of town golfers back to Gaylord Springs the past few months. Our local and new golfers have also shown a lot of interest in being custom fit for new golf clubs by one of our four Master Fitters at our Golf Institute.”

Beginner golfers and those who are looking to get back into the game are

July 2021

regularly choosing to golf at Gaylord Springs Golf Links because of the course’s incredible Golf Institute, which is one of the leading institutes in the country. The Golf Institute offers year-round golf instruction from some of the most qualified PGA professionals, professional club fitting and on-site club repair, all featuring the industries top technology including SwingLab, FlightScope Launch Monitoring System and the V-One Swing Analysis.

Two very popular golf schools within the institute include Nancy Quarcelino School of Golf, founded and taught by Nancy Quarcelino, a Class A member of both the PGA and LPGA of America along with instructor, Rita Reasons, an LPGA member who has received impressive national recognition and Profectus Golf, founded by Erroll Helling and taught by talented instructor Josh Bevell. Harry Taylor shares his thoughts on why the Golf Institute is a great option for beginners. “There has been a great deal of interest in our Golf Institute this year. Our instructors are some of the most knowledgeable in the entire country and will work with all types of students to improve their game and develop a valuable skill set for the sport.” Additionally, special prices are offered for junior golfers interested in perfecting their technique while playing on the course.

Kids 15 and under, only pay $40.00 Monday through Thursday and $45.00 Friday through Sunday, or they can play one free round for each full-paying adult accompanying them, after 1:00PM. Gaylord Springs Golf Links continues to live up to its unbeatable reputation while consistently offering old and new guests an unforgettable experience. The 18hole course is perfect for players of any

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Church pew bunkers, what a sight!

skill level and recently underwent a renovation including brand new bunkers which are well received by golfers. The facility hired renowned golf course architect Billy Fuller to pioneer this project. Harry Taylor expresses his excitement for the renovation. “The time had come to completely renovate all of the bunkers on the course as part of our long-term course improvement plan. Every bunker has either been elimi-

Harry Taylor, Director of Golf Operations nated, re-positioned, or resized. With an increased number of golfers coming to our facility, we are thrilled to be able to offer an even more beautiful and scenic course.”

For those interested in visiting Gaylord Springs Golf Links for an exceptional golfing experience, visit GaylordSprings.com or call 615-458-1730 ext. 1

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Equipment Corner Sun Mountain introduces Boom Bag Music on the course has become accepted and even embraced by many and Boom Bag makes it easier than ever to connect to your favorite tunes and broadcasts.

Boom Bag is available with either a 14way top or a 5-way top with full-length dividers. Both versions feature a 10.5” diameter top with a dedicated putter compartment, and 13 pockets including a ventilated cooler pocket and a velourlined pocket with multiple slots for Bluetooth controller/speaker battery and phone.

The phone slot even has a clear vinyl window so the audio player can be seen

and controlled.

Boom Bag is constructed from durable and easy to clean vinyl fabric and comes in a multitude of colors. Boom Bag 14way is available in black/ice/inferno, black/gray, gray/garnet/black, black/ camo/atomic and black/white/gray.

Boom Bag 5-way is available in black/ white and cement/ocean/black.

For 30 years Sun Mountain has been a pioneer in the golf industry, revolutionizing golf bags, golf outerwear and golf carts. Sun Mountain’s many innovations, including the first lightweight golf bag and modern stand bag, have made it the top golf bag company in North America.

Tee Times Publisher Joe Hall congratulates Scott Feinstein, winner of the Sun Mountain Boom Bag giveaway earlier this year

Within golf outerwear, Sun Mountain redefined golf-specific performance first with the windshirt, then fleece, and again with its four-way stretch, waterproof, and breathable rainwear. The Sun Mountain Speed Cart® golf push cart transformed walking carts and created an entirely new category of golf products.

Sun Mountain’s “Ahead of Time Design” motto drives the company to continually design and refine golf equipment. For the Sun Mountain retailer nearest you call 800-227-9224 or visit www.sunmountain.com.

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DriveForce enters golf market with pre-round performance product DriveForce, a newly formed sports nutrition company specializing in creating functional health products, is proud to introduce DF-18, a premium pre-round performance blend that sustains a golfer’s focus, hydration, and stamina for hours while playing golf.

The innovative powdered formula, available in single-serving packets, contains no added sugar or caffeine, but rather a multitude of health promoting ingredients designed to be mixed with a bottle of water and consumed before a round.

DriveForce co-founder Zach Williams dove into the world of fitness and nutrition after a health scare three years ago and developed a passion for helping others through a targeted application of functional sports nutrition. Wanting to turn that passion into a business, Williams searched for an opportunity and discovered a void in the golf space.

Using all he had learned and practiced, he began designing a formula to address specifically the wear and tear

of playing a round of golf.

“For a game that has evolved where golfers are now training like athletes in other sports, it was shocking to discover how little was being done for them in this area. DF-18 is about bringing golf into the 21st century of sports nutrition,” Williams said. “DF-18 came together in pieces. First it needed to sustain player hydration, then provide focus and calm without over-stimulation. After that, it needed to reduce fatigue and support their cardiovascular system and finally, it needed to do all this across a four to six-hour period during a round of golf in a single serving.”

Williams, alongside co-founders Caleb Williams (brother) and Chris Michaud, together with more than a dozen LPGA/PGA professionals, amateurs, and instructors – including LPGA pro Alison Walshe and 2021 New England PGA Teacher of the Year Adam Kolloff – refined the formula, and DF-18 was ready.

“After nearly a year of work, we’re

happy to say that we’ve created a first-of-its-kind product. Its healthy ingredients are designed for all levels of golfers and approved by golf professionals.”

While playing on tour, Walshe was an early adopter and big believer in DF-18 since the beginning.

“This product’s the real deal,” she said. “I took DF-18 before competing and it was unbelievable. Whether I’m playing, practicing or just doing my regular everyday activities, I genuinely notice that I feel a lot more clarity and energy, more hydrated, and I’m not always searching for coffee like I was before. What’s really cool is I only need to drink it once to feel the benefits for a good portion of my day. Even the information from my Whoop recovery data correlated positively with my DF18. It just makes me feel right.”

Kolloff, the owner and head PGA instructor at Pure Drive Golf near Boston, wasn’t sure at first about the idea of a performance supplement to help his game, but was won over after one serving.

“I was hard on them at first, but they insisted what they had was innovative, so I decided to try it,” he said. “I teach all day and first tried it before a full day of lessons. I felt more focused throughout the day and with all my lessons, and that I didn’t need my coffee like usual.

I started replacing my morning coffee with it -- and then started taking it in the afternoons as well. It gave me energy, made me feel calmer, and I felt better hydrated. Once I noticed that my Whoop recovery data tended to improve on days I took DF-18, that was it.”

Koloff said the product definitely will help golfers sustain their stamina throughout the round.

“In golf, when you feel better and less fatigued, you feel more focused, you don’t lose your swing, and can maintain your rhythm and swing mechanics for the day,” he said. “I can see DF-18 helping all golfers do that in a profound way.”

DF-18 is a convenient daily sports nutrition solution and pre-round performance blend. DF-18 also supports a healthy immune system, and by increasing the supply of nitric oxide in the body, may help regulate healthy blood flow and blood pressure, and a healthy heart and cardiovascular system.

DF-18 is now available in Pineapple

Passion Fruit, with more flavors to come, and costs $3.99 for a 20-gram packet. To purchase DF-18 and to see what customers are already saying about the new performance blend, visit https://driveforce.golf/product/df18/.

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Memories...

Continued from page 20

The Champions Golf Tour is highly competitive and rather exclusive to say the least. To qualify, you need to be at least 50 years of age. You also must apply online and pay a fee of $3,000. With the application, you will need two letters of reference from a Class A PGA Pro or Champions Tour Member; I could do that for you. You are also required to show a copy of your birth certificate, and playing results from two tournaments held in the last year.

An amateur who finishes among the top 30 at the qualifying school tourney must then forfeit their status as an amateur to play in the final stage of the PGA Tour Champions Qualifier. When you are in the top 12 of the qualifying stage, the top 5 will be fully exempt, and the next 7 will be reserves.

When you are travelling and playing on the PGA Tour, you will need to be financially responsible for all your expenses.

After winning your Player’s Card, you will be required to show the PGA Tour organization proof of financial stability.

Most players will have a financial backer when they start. When I went to Q school in 1969, I also needed a financial backer.

My first backer was Rudolph Light, a medical doctor who was married to the

ex-wife of American billionaire, Jean Paul Getty. (Mr. Light gave $1 million a year to Vanderbilt Hospital and the Light Eye Clinic is named in his honor.) Their winter home was at Lost Tree Village, Florida, Jack Nicklaus’ home course. Lost Tree Country Club is where I played in the Southern Amateur Championship and set the course record of 64 in one round.

Mr. Light died in 1970. My second backer was Buck Halperin of Chicago. Mr. Halperin owned the Chicago Light Company.

He was a Star Class Sailor and winner of Olympic Bronze Medal and Pan American Games Gold Medalist. He was also an NFL football quarterback, one of Chicago’s most-decorated World War II heroes.

Navy Cross, etc. He too was a great man.

My third backer was Jimmy Greenwood, an excellent amateur golfer who played in the 1964 Texas Cup Matches in Dallas, Texas where I shot 67 and defeated Byron Nelson in the singles matches 1-up.

There’s no telling how many middleaged amateur golfers have watched a Champions Tour event and wondered if they have what it takes to be the next big money winner. You will never know unless you try. Good luck.”

NOTE: Bobby Greenwood played on the regular PGA Tour from 1969 to 1975; and on the Champions PGA Tour from 1988-1993.

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Greer, Smith team up to win 2nd Four-Ball title Morris won the Tennessee Junior Tee Times report Amateur title last year and just CHATTANOOGA – The history completed his freshman year at books of the Tennessee Four-Ball Lipscomb University. Simpson won will show that few duos have been the 2020 Tennessee PGA Junior as formidable in tournament history Championship is about to join the as Ryan Greer and Jack Smith.

University of Tennessee team.

The Knoxville natives have played Simpson and Morris defeated two in the event together 11 times. The teams featuring former tournament have advanced to the championship champions in their run to the finals – match six times, and now they have 2019 winners Jack Uselton and Will their name on the trophy twice.

Brooks, as well as Whit Turnbow Greer and Smith claimed their (2005) and Payne Denman (2014). second four-ball state title recently They also beat 2018 runners-up as they closed out Lance Simpson Mitch and Chip Thomas in the and Jack Morris 3&2 at Black Creek quarterfinals.

Club. The championship came five Greer and Smith jumped out to a years after their first victory in the quick lead in the final as Greer ran event at the same course.

(L) Jack Smith and Ryan Greer in birdie putts on Nos. 1 and 3 to put “To have our names on this trophy his side 2-up. The Simpson-Morris twice, especially with such a great team never got back to square, although it was tight until field, is very special to us,” said Greer, who also won the Greer and Smith closed it out on the 16th hole.

2014 Tennessee Mid-Am championship. “The field for this “I think most people would tell you, any type of team tournament has been so strong, especially the last few format, similar to the Ryder Cup … four-ball or alternate years going back to Cherokee in 2019. We are certainly shot where it’s two-on-two, they like that difference sort of honored to win it.” challenge,” Smith said. “You are out there competing with They became partners over a decade ago when Greer someone else against another team instead of the grind of coached Smith during his prep career at Webb School at stroke play.”

Knoxville. Their friendship grew as Smith went on to play Friday started with the semifinal matches, and there was at the University of Tennessee from 2013-2017. no shortage of drama as both matches went to extra holes.

“We compliment each other’s games very well and I think Simpson and Morris got by Turnbow, president of the that’s the key,” Greer said of their success. “I feel like I’m Tennessee Golf Foundation, and Denman, a former Middle pretty consistent, and Jack hit’s it a lot further than I do.

Tennessee State standout, on the 19th hole when Simpson We made one bogey all week, and I think that’s key in four ran in a 20-footer. Greer and Smith needed two extra holes ball. You can put pressure on your opponent and make to advance past Tennessee Wesleyan golfers Cade Puryear birdies, but also if you don’t make any bogeys then that and John Houk. also continues to put pressure on the opponent as well.”

The semifinals featured four of the top five seeds in the The title match featured their experience against two 32-team bracket, of the state’s top young guns in Simpson and Morris.

SHOULDER TURN

83º

SHOULDER TILT

35º

LOVETHE RESULTS HIP TURN

38º

Montgomery cruises to state am title on home course

By Virginia Tech Sports Information Department KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Alyssa Montgomery picked the right week to get hot.

The Virginia Tech junior carded rounds of 67-70-70 at Holston Hills Country Club to finish 9-under 207 to win the Tennessee Women’s Amateur championship on Thursday by four strokes over Nicole Whitson of Knoxville.

The top two finishers were both members of Holston Hills.

Montgomery set the tone for her week by opening with a flawless, bogey-free round of 5-under 67 on Tuesday. Whitson was up to the challenge, turning in an opening round of 69 of her own to stay within striking distance of Montgomery.

Both golfers shot 2-under rounds of 70 in the second round, setting up the final round showdown.

Whitson gave a stroke back when she bogeyed the first hole and she still trailed by three at the turn. Three consecutive bogeys on holes 13, 14, 15 dashed her title hopes, as she finished with an even par 72 for her final 18 holes.

Montgomery, who finished seventh in this event last year, turned in her third straight subpar round with a 70 to win the championship by four strokes.

It was a breakthrough win for the Knoxville resident, who was without a victory since winning the 2019 AJGA Scott Stallings Junior Invitational.

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GOLFTEC caters to individual’s needs

By Justin Onslow Tee Times Associate Editor

The game of golf is for everyone, so it stands to reason that instruction at GOLFTEC should be for be for everyone, too – new to the game or a scratch golfer, young or seasoned, man or woman. It’s a complex sport, but at its core, it all comes down to the same thing: making solid contact and getting the ball to go where you want it to go.

For some golfers who are looking to shave off a few strokes, getting fitted for new clubs at GOLFTEC makes a lot of sense according to Paul Brannon, Center Manager and Director of Instruction at the Nashville West location on Charlotte Pike. For everyone else, professional instruction is the way to go.

“How many shots are you trying to knock off? If it’s a couple shots, fitting will be able to do that,” he explains. “You’ll straighten up the tee shots and hit the irons closer. If you’re trying to knock off 10 or more shots, instruction is the only way. Technique is what’s causing [issues]. The clubs aren’t going to change 10 shots; you’ll get more distance and more accuracy, but instruction is the foundation and the fundamentals and how to fix those.”

That’s why GOLFTEC specializes in both fitting and instruction, and why the company has invested so heavily in technologies that blend the art of the game with the science of the swing – technologies like launch monitors and wall-to-wall cameras for recording every minor detail of every single swing.

Experienced golfers can benefit greatly from that technology, of course, but new golfers like Chip Howorth may gain even more from instructions at GOLFTEC.

Paul Brannon, PGA

Chip Howorth

Howorth, who decided to take up the game just a few months ago, has played “maybe four holes” in his life. He signed up for a year of lessons from Brannon, who also gives instruction to Howorth’s brother. The goal: to start building the foundation for what can often be a lifelong hobby.

“I’m almost 40,” he says. “I like to work out, and CrossFit is something I enjoy, but I’m not going to be able to do that forever. I’ve always wanted to learn how to play golf.”

Being a beginner golfer, Howorth was looking for a way to simplify the learning process while working toward the goal of just being comfortable on a golf course, whether in a business or personal setting. Oftentimes, terms like “swing path” and “launch angle” and “smash factor” get thrown around and muddy up the whole process. Not so with Howorth and Brannon.

“What I love about it is that Paul doesn’t give you too many swing thoughts,” Howorth says.

“He has a long view of the game. He knows

Christine Clark

where he wants you to get and he sees where you are. We do one thing per week, which I think is great. Get the lesson, go home and work on the one thing.”

Brannon understands that in order to break down something complex like a golf swing, it often helps to break it down in simple terms – it’s up to the coaches to make sense of the complexities.

“I try to keep it simple,” Brannon says. “I don’t need to know how my car works. I just need to know I push the button and it goes. The numbers and the data we’re using is really there for the coaches to help the student to get better.”

Similarly – and especially with beginner golfers – a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. It all comes down to crafting the right swing for the golfer.

“There’s 120 different ways to adjust your car seat,” Brannon adds. “Once you have it set, you never need to move it.”

Some golfers, like Howorth, choose to sign

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Coach Brannon notes screen and technology show improvement

Practice swing with noodle as guide

up for a year-long instruction package, which GOLFTEC offers at each of its locations.

Howorth is just looking to feel comfortable on a golf course and get better as he goes, but for anyone trying to turn in their best-ever round, they can get that from GOLFTEC, too.

“Our average student tells us they see about seven shots a year improvement,” Brannon says. “We build a program based on a year. Do they have to commit to that? No, not at all. We build based on what their goals are and what we see in the video to support it. We have packages, but everything is tailored toward the student themselves.”

And that’s truly the beauty of GOLFTEC as a whole. Golf is for everyone, and everyone is a little bit different. Instructors like Brannon understand that and always work to tailor their approach to each individual student, whether that student is a 3-handicap or a 30-handicap or a new-to-the-game late bloomer who just wants to be able to enjoy the sport we all love.

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Go West for golf

Beat the heat with a trip to Lake Tahoe

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor One thing that is not lacking in the U.S. is great public golf.

It seems like just about anywhere a person interested in golf goes, there is a good public facility nearby. In many cases, there are a bunch of high-quality courses from which to choose.

One of those areas is the Reno/Lake Tahoe region of Nevada/California.

Perhaps better known for its winter sports offerings like skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling, and its outdoors activities such as hiking, camping and ziplining, Reno and Tahoe shouldn’t be overlooked as a golf destination.

With majestic views of the Sierra Nevada mountains range and Lake Tahoe, a visit to Reno/Tahoe offers a distinct golfing experience at elevations unseen in the MidSouth.

Throw in visits to some quaint mountain towns in and around the region, like Truckee, California, and Genoa, Nevada, among others, and its easy to see why Reno/ Tahoe makes an excellent destination for a buddies golf trip or a family vacation with some golf thrown in.

If you plan to go to Reno/Tahoe for golf, remember the season is a short one.

According to the locals, golf season runs from about Memorial Day until midOctober. But one thing is for certain, the weather is mostly glorious those months with July being the hottest with an average high temperature of 80 degrees. Lows are mostly in the 40s and 50s throughout the season. Also, humidity levels are low, so it’s a perfect respite from our Southern heat and humidity.

Where to play • Lake Tahoe Golf Course: This William

Bell design is located in a natural mountain meadow with spectacular views of Mt. Tallac, Twin Peaks and the top of Heavenly.

Genoa Lakes

The par 71 course plays to 6,741 yards with the Upper Truckee River winding throughout the course. One of the best holes on the course is No. 17, a 134-yard par 3 fronted by the Upper Truckee River and flanked by tall pines on either side of the green.

• Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course: Although there is great golf throughout the area, Edgewood Tahoe is considered the crown jewel in the region. Built by George Fazio in 1968, Edgewood Tahoe consistently is ranked in the Top 100 by Golf Digest and is best known for hosting the American Century Championship featuring celebrity athletes and entertainers. It has hosted a U.S. Senior Open and is carved through pine forests and open meadows Two memorable holes are Nos. 16-17. The 16th hole is a well-bunkered par 5 that plays down toward Lake Tahoe, while the 17th hole is a par 3 that sits adjacent to the lake.

Both offer magnificent views of Lake Tahoe.

• Coyote Moon Golf Course: This is mountain golf at its finest, playing at an altitude above 6,300 feet. Designed by Brad Bell and opened in 2000 near Truckee, the course is carved through hundreds of Ponderosa pines and granite bluffs. Crystal clear Trout Creek comes into play on a number of holes. The picturesque par-3 No. 13 is one of the most photographed holes in the region. Listed at 206 yards from the blue tees, the severe drop-off from tee to green means the hole can play as much as three clubs shorter than the listed distance.

• Tahoe Donner Golf Course: Another course near Truckee, the course underwent extensive renovations in 2020 to the tune of $2 million and reopened this year.

Renovations included a re-do of the greens, tees, drainage and cart paths, helping make the course more playable than in the past.

Tahoe Donner features extensive elevation changes. No. 8, dubbed “Panorama” is a long par 4 with a spectacular view of Mount Rose.

• The Resort at Squaw Creek: A Robert

Lake Tahoe Golf Club

Edgewood

Genoa Saloon Trent Jones Jr. course, The Resort at Squaw Creek places a premium on accuracy, not length. The front nine plays through the surrounding hillside, but the back nine winds through the valley’s wetlands. For the most part, the course is a tribute to target golf. There is little room for wayward drives. The signature hole is No. 6, a 176yard par 3 that requires a complete carry over water.

• Incline Village Mountain Course: Who says all golf needs to be played on a championship course? The Incline Village Mountain Course is a short course, playing to par 58 with 14 par 3s and four par 4s.

No hole is longer than 399 yards, and the par 3s range from 113 yards to 200 yards.

At 6,800 feet, the Mountain course is the highest elevation course in Nevada and the Tahoe Basin. It opened in 1968 and was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Squaw Creek

• Genoa Lakes Golf Course, Lakes Course: One of two courses at the facility, the Lakes Course is a Peter Jacobsen/John Harbottle III design crafted in the heart of Carson Valley. The links-style course offers beautiful views of the Sierra Nevada mountains and framed by lush wetlands and the Carson River.

If you play Genoa Lakes, make sure to stop by the Genoa Bar and Saloon just down the road from the course. Built in 1853, the Genoa Bar and Saloon is the oldest thirst parlor in Nevada. Among those who have bellied up to the bar for an adult beverage are Mark Twain, President Ulysses S. Grant and Teddy Roosevelt, actors Carol Lombard and Clark Gable, and a plethora of others.

For more information on the area, go to gotahoenorth.com, tahoesouth.com and visitcarsonvalley.org.

Mountain Course

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